Britain at War: 'Fanatical young Germans fought like demons'

VE DAY: 8 May 1945 – 60th Anniversary – 8 May 2005: End of war in
Europe – Celebrations: joy, relief, & sorrow for five years of death,
destruction & suffering – and apprehension for continued fighting in the
Pacific and South-East Asia.

12:39PM GMT 27 Nov 2008

Today’s memories and retrospects by radio, television and commemorations are revealing to Mary my wife and myself, for neither of us remembers well that day! Mary was either on duty as WAAF at Leuchars Air-Base or on compassionate leave with her invalid mother in Glasgow.

I was in a quiet, dream-like world after the fighting and pursuit form the Normandy beach to the battle and capture of Bremen – the last battle by 2/KSLI*, whose Regimental Medical Officer I was. Record shows that on the day the battalion was in convoy from near Bremen to Minden, to occupy and temporarily run that city.

Across the Rhine, we had advanced rapidly with little opposition except for vital crossing of rivers and canals. These were fiercely defended by dedicated Hitler Youth brigades. The Allies’ demand for “Unconditional Surrender” helped Goebbels’ propaganda that our objective was to destroy Germany completely – its culture, wealth, industry, property…- and so these fanatical youngsters fought like demons. It was at Kervenheim in this phase that our Private Joseph Stokes from Glasgow gained his Victoria Cross but died of multiple wounds.

One night before our assault on Bremen, after a simple meal we officers celebrated. Major T H Read, M.C., wounded in every action so far, requested as usual his favourite “It had to be You…”: I duly obliged on the piano. He was wounded again!

After the action, my Regimental Aid Post set up in nearby deserted hostelrie where I remember an elderly Russian peasant woman, slave-worker from a nearby farm, came to the red Cross sign for help. We knew no Russian, she no English or German. The Padre and myself had a captured Russian-German phrase book with which we diagnosed a history of dyspepsia and gave her a simple antacid bottle – with satisfaction! Weather was sunny, and the skittle alley provided some relaxation for us until – as ever, “pack up & move” – peacefully past many “Displaced Persons” and wreckage of war to our new location in Minden to the south with new responsibilities and experiences before we were flown to Egypt for Palestine.